Chapter 16

                                        

                                              
Published: 5/4/2024
May the fourth be with you!
Draco made a late lunch for himself, as well as some chicken and rice for the dog. This was getting out of hand. After lunch, Draco put a harness on the dog and led him out to the car.
Potter whined and wanted to get close to Draco before getting into the car. 
"Worried boy? It's going to be alright."
He got him into the car, drove to the vet and brought him inside. Potter was still acting scared and rubbing against his leg.
"Can I help you?" the teen at the desk asked. 
"Yes, I made an appointment, Draco Malfoy."
"Like the dragon?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I got you. A Belgian Malonis? My he's pretty." 
"And a menace. I need to register him. I found him two weeks ago. The emergency vet I went to said there were no reports of a lost dog of his breed. I want to adopt him."
Potter nudged his leg and wagged his tail. Draco gave him a look. Did the dog understand that?
"As long as no claims are made within 30 days of today, we will issue the papers. If the owner comes forward, they will have to prove ownership."
"I understand. I did go to a different vet. Could the 30 days start from there?"
"You'll have to ask them. These are our rules." 
"Thank you, here will be fine."
"What's his name?"
"Potter," Draco replied and Potter whined. Then he gave her his mobile for the license tag. He put the tag on Potter's collar, who licked him.
"Good boy," he said, petting him.
Draco filled out some paperwork and explained that the dog had been hit by a car, but nothing was broken, according to the emergency vet. He wanted to double-check that everything was okay.
"Could the vet do a full checkup?" he asked
"Of course! Is he neutered?" she asked.
Potter pulled away from Draco, whining. His tail was tucked in, and his ears were flat. Draco gave him another look. Coincidence, right?
"No," he said.
"Do you want to schedule the procedure?" she asked, tapping her pen on the counter.
"No," Draco said, as Potter was actively trying to escape from him. Thankfully, the dog relaxed upon his answer. He came back and rubbed his head against his leg.
"We do recommend neutering dogs to decrease his aggressiveness and prevent unexpected mating," she said, no doubt following a script.
"He's not aggressive, and no, thank you," Draco responded again.
"Are his shots up to date?" she asked.
"Yes, I had the emergency vet print it off."
She accepted the paper. "Okay, I'll make a copy. Have a seat and the vet will be ready shortly," she said. He walked over to the plastic chairs.
Ten minutes later, another tech came out. Potter was now sitting on his lap, much to the amusement of the other patrons.
The older woman looked disdainfully at Potter." We have muzzles for aggressive dogs."
"If, by aggressive, you mean lick me to death, then he's aggressive," Draco scoffed as he got up.
"He's a large military dog breed. I recommend a muzzle." 
Potter's ears dropped, and he whined and looked up to Draco to defend him.
Draco sighed. "He's fine."
"The vet may insist, and he could be put down if he attacks anyone," she warned and told him to follow. Draco led Potter down the hall to an exam room.
The vet came in, examined Potter thoroughly and drew blood. Potter didn't even growl. He just licked Draco wherever he got close enough to his mouth. 
"Yuck. Haven't you done that enough?" Draco complained, and the vet laughed.
"Why, I've never met such a cooperative dog," she said. "He's very calm."
"Yeah, he's a real sweet dog," Draco said. "Beautiful."
Said beautiful dog licked him, again with a tail wag.
"I don't feel any malformations. We'll do x-rays, too. You said he was hit?" 
"Ran out in front of me. Luckily, I stopped before I really hurt him. I was so worried I had killed him," Draco lied smoothly as he petted Potter.
She nodded and took Potter to be x-rayed. She came back five minutes later. The dog jumped into his lap and licked him, again.
"Stayed perfectly still. He's very well-trained," she said.
Was that the answer? Someone trained the dog so well? Draco had his doubts still but the vet looked the images and said he had no broken bones.
"What about diet? I can't get the dog to eat kibble for anything," he complained.
Potter wagged his tail happily and did a twirl. Draco explained what his psycho dog was doing to the vet.
"Oh... what have you been feeding him?"
"Meat, rice and veggies."
"That's not bad, actually," the vet said.
Potter wagged his tail, annoyingly hitting his leg with it. 
"Here's a list of toxic foods for dogs. Keep to high-protein food. His breed is very high maintenance. How much exercise are you giving him?"
"Giving him? He chases the squirrel..."
Potter lifted his head alert, gave a soft woof, and Draco rolled his eyes.
"He needs a lot of one-on-one time outside. Get him to run... be engaged. Walks and playing fetch aren't going to be enough, but it's a start. This breed is largely used for military and police work. Individual owners sometimes struggle to keep up with the high-intensity level of the Belgian Malinois. He's a powerhouse."
"I see. I've been letting him recover," Draco said, and Potter tilted his head at him.
"He can probably get fairly destructive. Breaking through the wall isn't surprising, as well as destroying the house."
"Other than escaping the laundry room, it's the only destruction he's done."
The vet looked at the dog. "Oh, well... That's good. Maybe he's trained. He's got a wonderful temperament, but please... give him more outdoor time. He needs the attention, especially if you're going to leave him locked up for eight to nine hours."
Draco petted Potter, who licked his hand and wagged his tail.
"Unfortunately, it's just me. I'll buy more toys and such. I don't know what else I can do to give him the attention he needs."
"Hmm... here's the address of the kennel by the station. They train police dogs. Might give you some idea." 
"Thanks," Draco said, taking the address.
The vet recommended some books for Draco and sent him on his way. He paid his bill and swung by the kennel the vet suggested. Draco saw it was almost like the muggle jungle gyms at the park. Potter barked at the dogs in the yard, excitedly. Draco had some ideas now.







Totally unrelated to the plot - For anyone who hasn't given into societal pressure to watch Star Wars... do it! At least episodes four, five and six. Come on! Seeing someone get their arm cut off when I was kid was awesome! Okay... I remember my parents watching A New Hope when I was a kid and they sent me to bed, cause you know bedtime for mini-me. I snuck back out to watch the garbage chute scene. Return of the Jedi had such cute Ewoks! Anyway... The Force Awakens (#7) was the last movie I remember watching with my dad before he passed. Kinda one of my core memories. Sorry to make it sad, but I felt like sharing. It's the journey... the odyssey of our times.